Page 39 of Black Hearts
I walked over and took a handful. I had popcorn before, but caramel wasn’t really something I had much of growing up. I popped one in my mouth, and the moment the sweet caramel met with my tongue, I hummed.
Will smiled, and Bennet just rolled his eyes and muttered, “How simple are you?”
“Hey,” Will hissed, grabbing some popcorn out of the bag and throwing the pieces at Bennet, whose scowl intensified. “Don’t be a dick to Juliet. I know that’s gonna be hard for you, but I believe in you, buddy.”
“I am not your buddy.”
“You’re right, we’re not buddies. You’re my brother from another mother—”
“If you say that again, I’m going to beat your ass.”
As they went back and forth, I listened to them with a smile on my face. I didn’t really think Bennet would beat Will up, but you never knew with him. I popped another piece of caramel corn into my mouth and slowly made my way to the door, wanting to check on Markus. It wasn’t like I could help him call a bunch of people, but still.
With a few pieces of popcorn in one hand, I opened the door with the other, stepping out into the cool night air. Markus stood near his car, which he’d parked directly before our door, beside Jaxon’s. He leaned on the side of it, one hand in his pocket while the other held the phone to his ear. I ate another piece of popcorn as I meandered over to him.
“I thought you weren’t going to return my call,” Markus was busy saying. He paused, listening to whoever he was talking to. “I realize when you see my name on your phone, the last thing you want to do is talk to me.” He then chuckled, a dark sound. “How is Kyra doing?”
Kyra? That sounded like a girl’s name, but I wasn’t sure.
“I’m well aware it’s none of my business, and I’ll admit, I don’t really care. Let’s cut to the chase, then. I need you to draw me something up. A binding contract, something no one can find any loopholes in.”
I stopped when I stood beside him, and he glanced at me, then down at my hand, which still held two pieces of caramel popcorn. Markus must’ve been listening to the person he was on the phone with, for he said not a word to me as he plucked one of the pieces out of my hand and ate it.
“I’ll pay you your standard fee, of course, but I need it drawn up sooner rather than later. I’ll even pay extra for a rushed order,” Markus said. He pushed off the car, beginning to pace the area between his vehicle and Jaxon’s. “Thank you. I’ll send you over the details I need included. You’ll get your fee once I have the contract in my hands.” He didn’t say goodbye; he simply hung up, turning his wide, tall body toward me.
I was busy chewing on the last piece of popcorn, but I hurried to swallow it when he looked at me. “Who was that?” If I had to guess, I’d say that wasn’t the only call he’d made while he was gone. One of many, probably.
“Oliver Fitzpatrick. He’s someone my family has worked with for years. A very good lawyer, too. One of the smartest men I know—except when it comes to certain things.” Markus tucked his cell phone back in his pocket, staring squarely at me. “We trade favors every now and then.”
It didn’t surprise me to learn the Scotts had a lawyer they went to. It was just like Theo being their personal doctor, ready to go off at a moment’s notice.
“He’s also part of the family, sort of. When he was young, he married one of my sisters. She… wasn’t cut out for a lot of things, including life.” Markus turned his head, staring out at the motel parking lot around us.
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Quite a few. Most want nothing to do with what we do at the estate. Some were married off to make connections, others… others volunteered to leave after signing non-disclosures, like Lorelei. If they do not wish to remain in the family, I don’t force them.”
I grew quiet. “Why do you need a contract?”
“For my father. If we get him to leave, I want to make sure he never comes back. He doesn’t have many limits, but when it comes to legalities, he knows best when to relinquish his power. He’s the one who started doing the NDAs to begin with. To him, they were as good as permanently cutting ties.”
I still didn’t quite understand why he’d need a contract, why his father needed to sign one.
Markus must’ve sensed this, for he added, “If the contract says my father agrees to never step foot in the estate again, he won’t. We just have to get him to sign it.”
A family of killers, and a paper contract was going to be the saving grace? Seemed a little silly, but with this family, I knew this was as serious as something could possibly be. A paper contract was law, apparently.
Was that irony? Seemed like it.
“How long are we going to wait here?” I asked.
“Until you’re good. Until I have everything ready,” Markus rattled off. “Until Oliver gets me that contract. I don’t want to go back any sooner than that, not until I know for a fact I’ll have enough to get my father out for good.”
“And your aunts and uncles—if you get your father to sign the contract, he won’t get them to come?”
“Like I said, they’re not fit to do what we do, and my father’s not the type to burn his whole empire down just to prove he’s right.” Markus paused. “Although, I suppose I have been wrong before, so I could be wrong about this. We’ll have to see.”
Hmm. For some reason, that didn’t fill me with ease.
